botswana Botswana HOW TO SELL... by Andrew Eames
BOTSWANA ESSENTIALS VISAS: Not required for British passport holders TIME ZONE: GMT+2hrs CURRENCY: Pula (£1 = 14 BWP) CAPITAL CITY: Gaborone LANGUAGES: English, Tswana USEFUL CONTACTS:
botswanatourism.co.bw BOOK IT: Exodus's 16-day Wildlife and Wilderness group tour leads in at £3,079pp, including flights, accommodation and most meals. The trip covers the range of Botswanan ecosystems, including the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Chobe and Moremi. There’s also a visit to Victoria Falls. 0845 287 7649
exodus.com TOUR OPERATORS
rainbowtours.co.uk expertafrica.com africacollection.co.uk orient-express.com theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk kirkerholidays.com GETTING THERE:
flysaa.com
virgin-atlantic.com batraveltrade.com kenya-airways.com
For an African safari nation the decision to ban all hunting of wild animals for sport – as Botswana has done this year – is a brave decision to take. Hunting safaris have traditionally
been big earners for game-rich nations, although they haven’t always provided equal measures of good publicity. However, the ban means that the country is placing its confi dence fair and square in tourism. And with some justifi cation, says Botswana Tourism’s Dawn Parr. “Last year was very good for
us. Botswana is fi nally getting on the map as an exceptional safari destination, and we have many more enquiries from couples, families and older and younger generations,” she said. This large and landlocked southern African country is a destination of extremes of wet and dry, creating a wildlife paradise. The Kalahari Desert, which
occupies most of the country, is characterised by its vastness, its aridity and its Bushmen, whilst the Okavango Delta is an unrivalled and quite extraordinary network of waterways which annually appear as if by magic, fed by rains in the distant mountains of Angola. Botswana is where this water seeps away into the sand – but not before it has nourished a whole ecosystem, with some of the world’s most magnifi cent, and rarest, creatures. Add to that a particularly easy- going people, a developing cultural
HOW TO SELL 29
A river cruise on the Chobe, accompanied by resident elephants
“The Okavango Delta is an extraordinary
network of waterways which appear as if by magic, fed by rains from Angola"
tourism, closeness of access to South Africa, and a reputation for being the ‘best governed country in Africa’, and you’re onto a winner.
WHY SELL The recent hunting ban is bound to go
down well with potential customers. And in a country the size of France, but with a population of just 1.8 million, the wildlife rules the roost. Confl ict between man and animals, often a problem in game-rich countries, is less of an issue here than in some neighbouring countries. There’s also the emergence
A serene glide through the Okavango, on a mokoro
of more variety in the travel offer, with cultural visits to the likes of the UNESCO-registered
Bushmen paintings in the Tsodilo hills and the new Seboba cultural village, which will shortly open in Kasane, the pleasant gateway town to Chobe National Park. Botswana has taken a very responsible attitude to its environment, and that is refl ected by some of the lodge operators, with the likes of Great Plains Conservation investigating the possibility of using biogas from Okavango marshland as fuel. From a commission point of view, Botswana’s safaris have always been a touch more pricey than safaris elsewhere in Africa, and for agents that produces bigger rewards.
WHO TO Traditionally Botswana has been a
destination for higher ‘net worth’ individuals and couples, but that base is now broadening with more opportunities for families, through the introduction of more mid-range and budget accommodation. However these are still low
volume, so nowhere is ever going to feel crowded.
www.sellinglonghaul.com
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